Monday

Jaye
Blythe, 47, joined HVAF in June 2013 as our Housing Specialist. She helps veterans who leave HVAF
transitional housing program to enter permanent homes of their own. Blythe has a BSW in Social Work.

What attracted
you to the position at HVAF?

I’ve
always wanted to work with the homeless population and veterans hold a special
place in my heart.

Jaye Blythe

What do you do?

I
handle all the applications for our GPD Housing Program and help the veterans
who are on the housing wait list. I manage the wait list and the housing roster
for the case managers. Another aspect of my position at HVAF is permanent
housing. I get referrals from the case managers for the veterans leaving our
program and going into their own permanent housing. I work with those clients
to determine their priorities for housing; provide housing resources and assist
in obtaining the housing.

What do you enjoy most about working at HVAF?

I
enjoy giving back to a population of our society that has given so much for the
people of this country. It is very rewarding to be a part of the process of
getting someone off the streets and into a warm home out of the elements. I am
very grateful for the things that I have and the comforts of my own life. I believe
that part of being grateful, for me anyway, is to give back in some way.
Helping those that are most vulnerable is a part of what I am committed to as a
social worker. I have been through a lot of challenges in my own life and I
would not be where I am today if I didn’t have people who cared enough to help
me through those struggles. I enjoy being a listening ear, friendly smile and
someone who genuinely cares for others at HVAF and beyond.

How do you enjoy spending your free time?

I
enjoy spending time with family and friends. At church, I am a Communion Team
Leader and sing in the Gospel choir. I love to camp, grill out, throw parties,
and go to the theater, concerts, museums, and art galleries. I am an avid
reader and I love movies, animals (especially turtles!) and being outdoors. I
have a new baby boy that I can’t wait to share all these things with!

Consider
becoming a Friend of HVAF today. Your contribution of $1,000 a year through this
partnership program can furnish an apartment for a veteran for one year.

We created
the Friends of HVAF program to steward special partnerships with people and
organizations that want a unique opportunity to serve the brave men and women
who have served all of us.

When you
become a Friend of HVAF, you are more than a donor. You are a partner. A
partner in our shared work to return honorable U.S. military veterans to
self-sufficiency after living through homelessness, substance abuse and other
life challenges.

U.S. Army veteran Ron W., 55, is benefiting from HVAF programs and services. After
a few years of living hand to mouth, Ron had had enough and entered HVAF's
housing program for help. Ron recently received keys to his own apartment
with the help of HVAF's Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
program.

HVAF
is partnering with Simons Bitzer & Associates to provide free financialliteracy and skill-buildingclasses. In March, more than 20 veterans learned the
basics of budgeting from maintaining a check book to retirement planning.

“We were excited to meet them and present
financial education on many issues including ways to avoid financial scams as
well as to balance a checkbook,” says Lisa Rollings of Simons Bitzer &
Associates.

Research shows that veterans are more likely to end up homeless not just
because of stress related to their military service but also because of poor
financial skills. A new report in the American Journal of Public Health found
that military members in general are less familiar with household budgets, more
likely to be targets for predatory lenders and “may not have the opportunity to
learn the skills necessary for being financially independent and managing
money.”

“The class was helpful in that it showed me ways to better
keep a budget by using an Excel sheet and keep track of what’s coming in and
what’s going out,” says Roy
E., 55, an Army veteran.

Rollings
says her company’s goal is to hold regularfinancialeducationclasses at HVAF and keep them engaging and relevant so
thatthose who leave our transitional
housing are armed with the tools they need.

Ron
W., 55, is a United States Army veteran who was stationed in Ft. Jackson, South
Carolina; Ft. Gordon, Georgia; and Ft. Hood, Texas in the 1970’s. He worked on teletypemachines.

“It
kept me on my toes and really made a man out of me,” says Ron.

Years of drinking and poor choices ultimately led Ron to homelessness, and he
isolated himself from family. Ron says he took on odd jobs to
stay afloat. However, in
1987, Ron’s addictions to alcohol and drugs increased.

“My
older brother also struggled with addiction and so our stories are very
similar," says Ron. "Like him, I became homeless and a burden on my family and we both
burned a lot of bridges along the way.”

In
2009, Ron followed his brother again, but this time into recovery. He came to
HVAF for help shortly after his brother had entered HVAF’s substance abuse recovery
program called REST. The brothers banded together. They slept under the same
roof at HVAF - something they hadn’t done in years.

“It
is unique to have brothers in our recovery program at the same time,” says Fred
Young, REST program coordinator. “Ron has persevered with his treatment, but the battle
with addiction is never over so we encourage him to continue to stay focused
now more than ever.”

Ron
has moved through each phase of HVAF’s recovery program successfully and recently
received keys to his own apartment with the help of HVAF’s Supportive Services
for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. He spends his time during the week
volunteering in HVAF’s kitchen where he prepares meals for his fellow veterans
(the group is happy to tell you about his famous meatloaf, ribs, and mac and
cheese).

Tom
Tuttle, Ron’s SSVF case manager, says Ron’s transformation has created his desire to give back to the organization that helped him
when he was in tremendous need.

“Ron
stays active and serves a role model for other veterans in our housing program,”
says Tom.

Nowadays, Ron enjoys stability, a peace of mind, a sense of
self-worth and a drive to help out his surrounding community.

Wednesday

A
dozen students from the University of Connecticut took a pass on Spring Break
fun in the sun in order to make a real difference in the lives of HVAF veterans
in March.

The student group, representing the university’s Office of
Fraternity and Sorority Life, participates in
alternative spring breaks each year, which take them to several nonprofits in
different cities across the county.

Spring Break 2014 was third year for the group to volunteer at
HVAF. Students sorted and stocked donations distributed to homeless veterans
and their families in need.

The student team researches nonprofits at the
beginning of the year and selected ones where they feel they could make the
biggest impact. Along with online research, this year’s HVAF volunteers talked
to past UConn students who had previously volunteered on behalf of our vets.

Volunteering is how junior, Danielle Reid has spent many of her
spring breaks.

“I’m
really happy to do this, and it’s a different kind of experience,” Danielle
says.

To
recognize the students’ work, HVAF shared on its social media pages photos and memorable
student quotes from the group’s experiences, using the hashtag #UCGAB, which stands for UConn Greek Alternative Break.

"Everyone should help out in the community,” said Isabela
Galvao, another student volunteer. “I think this,
personally, because it just makes a place better if you're going to help,
so I just try to make that my top priority."